In a bizarre F1 storyline, Toto Wolff and Jos Verstappen were once friends. The two used to be telephone buddies, but as the years passed, their once amicable relationship hit a rough patch and fell apart, becoming as civil as the one shared by their teams, Red Bull and Mercedes.
Two years before the infamous battle between their prodigies, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, the story goes that Wolff kept in contact with Jos to pry Max from Red Bulls’ fingers. Red Bull bigwig Helmut Marko provided an insight into this unknown relationship shared by the team ambassadors.
Toto Wolff & Jos Verstappen’s secret relationship
In an interview back in 2019, Marko delved into the details of this dynamic. “Toto Wolff calls him and his father repeatedly and has done for months…” Although these conversations were in an attempt to poach Max Verstappen, Jos had hinted at something more.
Disregarding the narrative that Wolff and Max were in conversation, Verstappen Sr admitted, “I do occasionally speak to Toto, but that makes sense.” He also added that they chat on the phone, maintaining a ‘good relationship’ with the Mercedes boss.
Then came the storm of the 2021 season. The first tremor was felt in Silverstone. The British GP that season saw Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s rivalry climax- a collision that saw the Dutchman in the barriers and flown to the hospital. However, with Hamilton having won the race, celebrations were imminent in the Mercedes camp.
This rubbed the Verstappens in the wrong way. Jos was furious. Enraged, he attacked Wolff and his team, “You don’t celebrate your victory with such euphoria when your colleague is still in the hospital. And as for Toto Wolff: We have had good contact for years. He kept calling and smeared honey around our mouths. I think everyone knows why. He didn’t get in touch yesterday. Now he no longer needs to call.”
The final nail in the coffin- Abu Dhabi
With tensions at an all-time high during that season, it seemed to have permeated into what was once a friendship. The only semblance of a relationship between Red Bull and Mercedes was now cut.
As the plot crescendoed into the controversies of Abu Dhabi, Verstappen ended the season and his relationship with Wolff with one last blow. “we had a good relationship with him, but the true Toto has shown himself lately.”
He also piled on, “There is no click anymore. You could say [he is a bad loser], yes. Mercedes was leading for years, of course. Now they are cornered for the first time and you see a different Toto. A pity, but that’s how you get to know people.”
Now, years later, it doesn’t seem like the two have made amends. A shame, because in a sport like F1, forming friendships is a rare occurrence, especially a surprising one like this, from across the battle line. If Max and Lewis had some form of camaraderie, would this have thrived? Its tough to say. However, such is the cutthroat world of F1
